Patrick Campbell
Now or Never!
Throughout this semester our Women’s Studies class has engaged in thorough conversations regarding women in the workforce. However, our recent discussions focused on major corporations such as Nike and Forever-21 who partake in the use of sweatshops In America and abroad. Following class presentations, a common theme derived from our study of these companies’ included the vagueness of their codes of conduct, employment of illegal immigrants in America, hazardous working conditions, low-wages, and excessive working hours. After this study of the sweatshops and the codes of conduct, our class discussed the employment and experiences of women in America applying for jobs and their actual experience of working for their employer. In class, Professor Simonson informed the class that she had knowledge of women who “choose to take their wedding ring off prior to an interview in fear of female discriminatory questions and implications from their employer; to improve their chances of being hired.” A wedding ring can symbolize a number of things that an employer might perceive as detrimental to employment, such as future pregnancy, child-birth costs, and providing paid maternity leave. Furthermore, Professor Simonson also stated that she had knowledge of individuals who would “plan their pregnancy during times which were advantageous to raising their child with an abundant time off work with paid leave.” This part of the discussion made me believe that these types of women are adding on to pre-conceived discriminations against women and consequently hurting feminist movements. However, following class readings and research, I see that this predicament involving male employers discriminating against women is a much larger problem in America and abroad. The fact that women have to think about such things as taking off their wedding ring when applying for a job and basically hiding their identity or livelihood for a better chance of employment is blasphemy. This newsflash aims to assess such experiences and provide a broader picture of how women are forced to act to achieve some kind of equality amongst men in the workforce.
Didi Kirsten Tatlow’s piece “For China’s Women, More Opportunities, More Pitfalls,” involves a highly educated woman named Angel Feng and her experiences during job interviews in China. Angel Feng is “fluent in Chinese, English, French, and Japanese” and is a “graduate of a business school in France (Tatlow). Just by looking at her résumé, an employer should hire her because she is completely qualified and shows true promise regarding future performance. Due to this type of mal-practice we see women like Jan Oosting Kaminsky who refuse to settle for a position in the work force that might culturally be perceived as a female populated profession to gain respect in this patriarchal society. These are the reasons we see the high levels of gender-shifts in hospitals. Angel Feng is another woman who aimed to pursue her career at the highest level “in the private sector, where salaries are higher,” because her academic background yields such a standard in the business world (Tatlow). Feng’s journey in search of a job included interviews “between January and April with a half dozen companies in Beijing” (Tatlow).
As previously noted, women in America and abroad would remove their wedding rings prior to a job interview. This following quote hits the nail on the head regarding women’s justification for acting in such a manner. During Feng’s job interviews she states that, “the boss would ask several questions about my qualifications, then he’d say: ‘I see you just got married. When will you have a baby?’ It was always the last question. I’d say not for five years, at least, but they didn’t believe me” (Tatlow). This example is cut-and-dry evidence of males trying to find excuses to not hire qualified people just because they are female. That being said, I believe this is an outrage and it explains why some women, including those who are already employed, are forced to plan their pregnancy through work, instead of letting nature takes its coarse as it should. I understand why maternity leave could be considered as a threat to an employer. However, to ask such personal questions during an interview which should include a discussion regarding qualification for employment and a person’s accomplishments, is truly crossing the line.
Anuradha Shyam’s piece “Safe Keepers and Wage Earners,” discusses these types of struggles concerning the working experiences for women. Shyam’s piece shows how women are forced to manage numerous aspects of their life while still having a solid commitment to their job. In addition, her piece articulates the challenges facing women in the workforce attaining advancement in their companies and promotions because of their gender. This article directly relates to Feng’s experiences during her interviews. The types of discriminatory activity that goes on in her interviews, shows how all of her accomplishments and achievements are easily overlooked and undermined due to her gender. This struggle that Shyam is exuding in her piece intricately illuminates these common threats (if you will) that all women in society are facing. Consequently, women develop insecurities about their gender when entering the work force, like the wedding ring scenario, which I see as blasphemy, immoral, and inhumane. Women like Carol Mendez should be praised for their perseverance and determination through their trails and tribulations, such as the previously noted examples, not discriminated against because of their gender. That is said because an employer’s first question should state, do you posses any leadership abilities? Instead of these personal questions like, are you married and when do you want to have a baby? Modern day women have made extreme advances in the workforce and in the global spectrum. Therefore, employers should stick to what makes their business run positively, instead of wasting their times creating these “cultural traditions that value men over women” (Tatlow).
Actions have been taken to remove or at least lesson this cultural tradition by female activists. Due to the fact that the “law stipulates that employers must help cover those costs (maternity leave and childbirth costs), and feminists are seeking a system of state-supported childbirth insurance to lessen discrimination” (Tatlow). Discriminatory actions have developed these insecurities for women in the workforce which affects their entire livelihood. This following piece portrays this exact development as a result of discriminatory actions.
“The main issue we face is confusion, about who we are and what we should be,” said Qin Liwen, a magazine columnist. “Should I be a ‘strong woman’ and make money and have a career, maybe grow rich, but risk not finding a husband or having a child? Or should I marry and be a stay-at-home housewife, support my husband and educate my child? Or, should I be a ‘fox’ — the kind of woman who marries a rich man, drives around in a BMWbut has to put up with his concubines?”---Tatlow
(If we consider ourselves a moral society or even a society who cares.. Than after reading something like this and seeing the position our cultural practices place the women and mothers of our children in, suggest an immediate change???!!!!)---I say absolutely!
Despite Feng’s highly qualified background, these types of traditions forced her to work for a lower level company. Her salary was extremely low and she received zero benefits. Personally, it is truly disheartening to see someone who worked so hard academically being rendered such low recognition and wasting all of her good qualities and knowledge. We must stop this outrage as a society or we will lose some of the greatest people in the world who are forced to live in mediocrity, because these cultural practices performed by employers render them no other choice.
Videos on this Topic:
This Video Gives a Background on this topic in California
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pt6h6vlY2k
This Video is a spoof in a way which shows how women manage so many things at one..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JoeRt3SB98&feature=related
Sources:
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